Is it fair to review something that isn't available to the masses, that only about 600-1000 people got to see this past Thursday? Why am I even asking this question? I'm the only who's going to read this (for spelling/grammar errors only, most of which I'll skip the hell out of). The title to this post is a quote from Michael Showalter ("The State," Wet Hot American Summer, "Stella," The Baxter and even M. Night Shyamalan's Signs for a few seconds) during his set at the Barrymore Theater in Madison, WI. He was referring to his days on MTV's sketch comedy show "The State" when somebody shouted out the phrase, "I'm Outta Heeeeeerrrrrrrreeeee!" which was the catchphrase for one of Showalters recurring characters, wannabe teen rebel Doug. Apparently, anytime Showalter is forced to utter the catchphrase, "A piece of my soul comes out of my ass."
Showalter was co-headlining the Barrymore with former "The State" and "Stella" colleague Michael Ian Black. Never one to be ashamed of how he earns his bread when he's not performing comedy on the stage, Black interrupted Showalter's set 5-minutes in to greet the audience with "I LOVE THE 80s!" and letting us all know he was not in fact drinking cola, but Sierra Mist. In an age where bands/actors/comedians are often condemned by their fans for "selling out," Black is able to use his endorsements for more material in his set, which is a smart way to get your fans not to give a shit. That and the fact that he's actually funny on VH-1 and the Sierra Mist commercials, more often than not, are absurd in the most delightful way as long as they don't include Kathy Griffin*.
It's hard to talk about stand-up comedy performances to people who weren't there to witness it. It is even more difficult when the comedians are Showalter and Black. Judging by the accounts of other audience members from different shows I have read, Showalter's set is never the same at every show. As a matter of fact, in Madison he only did one bit from his recently released comedy album debut, "Sandwiches & Cats." Much of his set appeared to be improvised and based off the heckling (none of it negative, mind you) of certain audience members. Also having Black come on stage just to hang out and threaten to "fist" hecklers "up the ass" while Showalters "kills you" seemed like a very impromptu moment. The one moment of his set that was clearly rehearsed was his "Scrabble" slide show, where showed the audience the dictionary definitions for words like "penissock" and "preunshat," words he used to beat his opponent. It has to be seen, but trust me, it was genius. Overall, Showalter was more like a friend to everyone in the audience who just wanted to talk to them while he walked around the stage. Whether the material was carefully calculated or if it was just "go with the flow" is anybody's guess, but one thing's for sure: it was damn funny.
Michael Ian Black started his set talking about his plans to visit the Ho Chunk Casino later that night and how his memories of Madison involved 3 hours of sitting on a toilet courtesy of local Mexican cuisine dive the Taco Palace ("...I expected a pristine palace constructed entirely of tacos..."). Showalter was eating burritos from this place on the side of the stage, which prompted another "impromptu" set interruption. Beyond that, Black's set seemed a bit more focused, much of his material coming from his recently released debut comedy album, "I'm A Wonderful Man." Black might as well be one of the kings of deadpan and dry sarcasm, especially when he talks about how lame his kids are regarding their "cliched" choices for Halloween costumes. He had some good interaction with the crowd, too. At one point he was complaining about semen being "a wasteful liquid" and wished that he could "cum guacamole or chocolate sauce," which prompted someone else to shout "CheezWhiz!" to which he replied, "I should've seen that one coming from a Wisconsin crowd." I hung my head in shame.
Each of their sets lasted an hour a piece and they ended the show with a long goodbye that probably lasted a good 10 minutes. No one was complaining. It was a hilariously warm evening in a very strange, but intimate Barrymore Theater (the place looked and smelled like a sleazy multi-plex from the 1970's, I felt like I should've been watching Deep Throat there). They won't be headlining Dane Cook or Larry the Cable Guy venues any time soon since they don't try to broaden their comedic appeal and try to make everyone like them. But when was the last time Dane Cook came back on stage after the show and signed autographs for nervous fanboys (aka, me) and ladies?
* She was on "Suddenly Susan," which featured Eric Idle in the cast for the final season, as I just discovered looking up some Monty Python stuff. He replaced Judd Nelson on the show. There's not point to this, expect it made me burst into tears of pain and joy (since the show no longer exists; Idle can be spared the indignity)
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